Vulcanization of polychloroprenes with epoxides and thioureas



Staes U.S. Cl. 26023.'7 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A vulcanizable chloroprene polymer composition comprising about 100 parts of a chloroprene polymer, about 0.7 to 7.0 parts of an epoxide and about 0.5 to 5.0 parts of a substituted thiourea.

RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending application Ser. No. 451,669, now U.S. Patent No. 3,418,201.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to improved curing systems for elastomeric polymers of chloroprene. In particular it relates to curable chloroprene polymer compositions which contain an epoxy resin-substituted thiourea curing system.

It is known to employ substituted thioureas as accelerators in the vulcanization of chloroprene polymers as taught by U.S. Patent 2,958,680 to L. A. Brooks and I. C. Bacon. Vulcanizates of this sort show good physical properties, but unvulcanized, compounded polychloroprene stocks containing only the substituted thioureas as accelerators have been found to have very poor bin stability, i.e., they cannot be stored after compounding and before vulcanizing without undergoing significant and undesirable change in their curing behavior. Practical manufacture of vulcanized rubber products demands good bin stability in unvulcanized compounds.

A further disadvantage of chloroprene polymer stocks having substituted thioureas incorporated as the sole vulcanization accelerators is that they do not have sufficient processing safety, i.e., they are frequently subject to premature vulcanization during processing prior to curing. This is a serious problem in the manufacture of elastomeric articles since it does not allow sufficient time for the elastomers to be molded prior to vulcanization.

There has been a need in the art therefore, for a chloroprene polymer vulcanization system which has good bin stability and processing safety and gives vulcanizates having superior physical properties at least comparable to those obtained by the use of substituted thioureas alone.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to this invention vulcanizable elastomeric compositions are provided which comprise in parts by weight about 100 parts of a chloroprene polymer, about 0.7-7.0 parts of an epoxy resin and about O.55.0 parts of a substituted thiourea. It has also been discovered that the chloroprene polymer compositions which are cured according to this invention and have a mineral filler incorporated therein can be adhered directly to a fluoroelastomer to form a laminate as disclosed in applicants copending application Ser. No. 451,669.

p l C j DETAILED DESCRIPTION Chloroprene polymers suitable for use in the practice of this invention are the high molecular weight, mercaptan-modified polychloroprenes such as those disclosed in U.S. Patent 2,567,117. Copolymers of chloroprene with minor proportions, up to 20 weight percent, of comonomers such as 2,3-dichlorobutadiene-1,3, styrene, isoprene, acrylonitrile, and the like can also be used. The preferred polymers are the homopolymers of chloroprene, a representative example being neoprene prepared according to the method discolsed in U 5. 2,494,087 to Daniels, and chloroprene/2,3-dichlorobutadiene 1,3 copolymers containing not more than 5 weight percent 2,3-dichlorobutadiene-1,3. The chloroprene polymers used have a number average molecular weight of at least 50,000 and normally are in the range of 100,000 to 400,000. They are substantially completely soluble in aromatic solvents such as benzene and toluene. In general, the sulfur-modified chloroprene polymers are not suitable in the practice of this invention.

Suitable epoxy resins for use in this invention include (1) those prepared by epoxidation of natural or synthetic unsaturated fatty acid esters of polyhydric alcohols such as epoxidized lard oil, olive oil, castor oil, peanut oil, cottonseed oil, soybean oil, corn oil, linseed oil and the like; and (2) those prepared by reaction of epichlorohydrin with polyhydric alcohols such as bisphenol A (para,para isopropylidenediphenol), diphenylol propane, and glycerine, representative commercial products of this type being Scotchweld EC 1838 B, Epon-828 and Epon-103l. The preferred epoxy resins are those prepared by reaction of epichlorohydrin and bisphenol A, such as Epon-828. Such epoxy resins are readily available and the chloroprene polymer stocks into which they are incorporated exhibit particularly good performance in bin stability and processing safety. In general, the epoxide equivalent of the epoxy resins used should be less than 1000. Those having an epoxide equivalent of between and 500 are especially effective in enhancing bin stability and processing safety and are therefore preferred. Epoxide equivalent is defined as the grams of resin containing one gram-equivalent of epoxide.

The substituted thioureas which are used in this inven tion correspond to the formula:

wherein R R and R can each independently be C -C alkyl, C -C cycloalkyl, C -C aryl, C C aralkyl, C7-C10 alkaryl and hydrogen, with the proviso that not more than one of the groups R R or R is hydrogen. The tri-substituted thioureas are prefered over the disubstituted compounds since the former demonstrate superior curing performance. The thioureas having ethyl and/or methyl substituents only are preferred because they are more readily available and are more eflicient on a Weight basis than the higher molecular weight homologs. Trimethyl thiourea is most preferred because of its availability and performance. Other thioureas useful in this invention include: N.N-diethylthiourea, N,N-diphenyl- N'-benzylthiourea, N-phenyl-N'-methyl-N' cyclohexylthiourea and N,N,N'-tripentylthiourea.

The usual materials employed in compounding chloroprene polymers are also incorporated, including magnesium oxide, calcium stearate, suitable antioxidants, solid particulate fillers, plasticizing aids, and the like. Zinc oxide may be included, as is the usual practice, but one of the advantages of this invention is that the zinc and magnesium oxides can be omitted if desired and a good cure still achieved. This effects considerable savings since the metal oxides are one of the more expensive components used in the conventional prior art elastomer stocks. For the best processing safety and thermal stability of the resulting vulcanizates however, the metal oxides should be used in the normal manner.

4 viscosity determined according to ASTM D445-53T of 100-160 poises at 25 C., an epoxide equivalent of 185- 192 and an average molecular weight of 380.

Epon-1031A solid epoxy resin of the epichlorohydrin/l,1,2,2 tetra (p hydroxyphenyl)ethane type hav- The compositions of this invention are cured by fol- 5 ing a high functionality and reactivity. It has an epoxide lowing conventional rubber compounding procedures. It equivalent of 210-240 and a Gardner-Holdt viscosity is preferred to add the thiourea as the last agent in the (ASTM D-l54) of Z -Z compounding process. Epon-872-A semi-solid epoxy resin having an epox- The compositions of this invention can be cured into 10 ide equivalent of 650-750, and a kinematic viscosity vulcanizates having properties which make them suitable measured according to ASTM D445-53T at 25 C. of for use in the customary chloroprene polymer applica- -25. tions, e.g., coverings for cables and wire, hose, belting The polychloroprenes used in the examples are high and automotive parts. As mentioned above, the composimolecular weight mercaptan modified homopolymers of tions can also be used in conjunction with fluoro- 15 chloroprene prepared according to the process described elastomer materials to form laminates containing at in US. 2,494,087. least one layer of a chloroprene polymer vulcanizate adhered directly to at least one fluoroelastomer without Examp 16S 1 3 the use of adhesive. Such laminates are of great value in Following conventional rubber compounding appllcatlons require an Flastomel' bavmg a base 20 cedure, the following masterbatch is prepared in a lablayer of a particular set of physical properties and an outoratory Banbury mixer; side layer having different properties. Prior to their use in such laminates, the compositions of this invention must Polychloroprene (Mooney viscosity ML (100 have Incorporated therein bo 30 parts y Weight P 0. 50, prepared according to US. 2,494,087 100 100 parts of polymer of a slllca filler of the high su face Sr ri id 0.5 yp A p a filler of s yp 18 commeroally 2,2' methylenebis(4 methyl 6 t-butyl phenol) available as Hi-S11 233. The fiuoroelastomers Whl h (antioxidant 2246) 2 can be used and the methods of compounding are gh Magnesia (Maglite D) 4 in applicants copending application Ser. No. 451,669- s prex clay 90 The invention will be more particularly illustrated by Tit niu dioxide 10 reference to the examples which follow. It is apparent N h i i1 i1i i t 155 157 F, (Circo from these examples that the vulcanizable compositions i 12 of this invention have excellent bin stability and proc- P l m 1 essing safety, yet can be cured to obtain vulcanizates hav- Parafii w 1 ing physical properties comparable to those of prior art Epoxy resin, epoxide 135492 323 3 thiourea-cured vulcanizates. Zinc oxide 5 Throughout the examples, various tests are performed on the compositions to illustrate their performance with 228.5 respect to bin stability, processing safety and physical properties of the vulcanizate. The tests are performed as Thiourea is added to 228.5 part samples of masterfollows: batch on a rubber mill. The use of three difierent Mooney scorch-MS at 250 F. (before and after thioureas with the masterbatch containing epoxide of aging 2 weeks at 100 F.) ASTM D1646-63. epoxide equivalent 185-192 gives the following results:

Example Thiourea N,N-diethyl Trimethy N,N-dipheny P rt lld ooileyseorch, MS at 250 F., original: 0 97 0 87 1 625 hfitte austrss 45 Aged 2 weeks at 100-F. 5 Minimum 25 22 24 Minutes to 10 pt. rise 28 38. 5 23. 5 Oscillating disc rheometer (307 F.

inimum, u be 1.5 2.0 2.0 Induction time (2 pt; rlse) minutes.-- 9 10. 5 7. 5 Max rate of cure, in [lbs /rnlnutes 1. 3 2.1 0.8 Cure state at 10 min., in. 4 3. 5 6 Cure state at 20 min, in./lbs 17 14 16 Cure state at 30 min., iu./lbs 33 33. 5 26 Cure state at 40 min, inn/lbs-.. 43. 5 52 33 Stress strain properties, cure: 20 min. at 153 300% modulus, p.s.i 700 750 825 500% modulus, .s.i. 1, 075 1, 125 1, 200 Tensile strength, p.s.i 1, 875 1, 750 1, 925 Elongation at break, p.s 740 700 750 Hardness, Durometcr A 57 58 56 Oscillating disc rheometer (Monsanto), according to the instruction manual, at 900 cycles/second.

The relatively high time values of both the original Stress-strainon slabs vulcanized 20 minutes at 153 and aged Mooney scorch data indicate that the vulcaniz- C., ASTM D412-62T.

The following epoxy resins and chloroprene polymers are used in the examples:

Epon-828-An epichlorohydrin/bisphenol A-type, low

able compositions of these examples are not subject to undue premature crosslinking and are substantially resistant to crosslinking during storage. The Oscillating Disc Rheometer and stress strain tests confirm that the samples molecular weight epoxy resin. Epon-828 has a kinematic have excellent cure rates and physical properties.

5 Examples 4-6 The following compositions are mixed on a rubber mill and tested as in the previous examples to demonstrate differences in processing safety relative to epoxide equivalent of the epoxide used.

Polychloroprene (Mooney viscosity ML (100 C.) 38 prepared according to U.S. 2,494,087)..." 100 fliiigered diaryl p-phenylenediarnine (Akroflex Phenyl-alpha-naphthylamine (Neozone A) Dodecyl mercaptan Magnesia (Maglite D) Stearic acid MT black SRF black Epoxy resin, epoxide eq. 185-102 (Epon- Epoxy resin, epoxide eq. 210-240 (Epon-1031)- Epoxy resin, epoxide eq. 650-750 (Epon-872) Paraffin wax Petrolatum Dioctyl sebacate Zinc oxide Tri-methyl thiourea (Thiate E) Mooney scorch, MS at 250 F.:

Minimum Minutes to 10 point rise Stress strain, Cure: 30 mins. at 163 C.

100% modulus, p.s.i Tensile strength, p.s.i Elongation at break, percent Hardness, Durometer A Compression Set, Method B; Cure: 30 minutes at 163 C., 70 hrs. at 250 F., percent The test results of Examples 4-6 demonstrate that epoxy resins of epoxide equivalents from about 150-500 give best results in terms of processing safety.

Examples 7-10 Compositions employing an epoxide and trimethylthiourea are prepared by rubber mill mixing with and without zinc and magnesium oxides and are tested as before to illustrate the fact that excellent cures can be achieved without metal oxides, but that the best balance of curing behavior results if both oxides are mcluded.

Example Polychloroprene (as in Examples 1-3) 100 100 100 100 Hindered diaryl p-phenylene-diamine (Almoflex AZ) 1 1 1 1 Phenyl-alph ph 1 1 1 1 Magnesia (Maglite D)- 4 4 Stearic acid.-. 0.5 0. 5 0.5 0.5 SRF black 40 40 40 40 Epoxy resin, epoxide 5 5 5 5 Zinc oxid 5 5 Tri-methyl thiourea (Thiate E) 2 2 2 Mooney scorch, MS at 250 F., origina.

Minimum 18 18. 5 18 20. 5 Minutes to 10 point rise 13 30 8 30+ Aged 2 weeks at 100 F.:

Minimum 25 22 36 26 Minutes to 10 point rise 22. 5 30+ 9 30+ Oscillating disc rheometer (307 F.) torque,

in./lbs., minutes:

Examples 11 and 12 These examplese illustrate the excellent cures obtained with optimum proportions of epoxy resin of epoxide equivalent 185-192 and trimethylthiourea, and the processing safety they give, in contrast to a control stock using only the trimethylthiourea.

Example Control 11 12 Polychloroprene (as in Examples 1-3) 100 100 Hindered diaryl p-pheylenediame (Akroflex AZ) 1 1 1 Phenyl-alpha-naphthylamine (Neozone A) 1 1 1 Magnesia (Maglite D).-- 4 4 4 Stearic acid 1 1 1 SEE black 40 40 40 Epoxy resin, Epoxide eq. 185-192 (Epon-828) 3 1. 5 Naphthenic Oil Aniline Point 157 (Circo oil) 10 10 10 no oxide 5 5 5 'Irirnethyl 0. 7 2 1. 25 Mooney scorch, MS at 250 F., 0

Minimum 14.5 14 14 Minutes to 10 point rise 25 30+ 30+ Aged 2 weeks at 100 F.:

Minimum 27 16 18. 5 Minutes to 10 point rise 5 30 30 Aged 4 weeks at 100 F.:

Minimum 96 19. 5 22 Minutes to 10 point rise 2 28 24. 5 Oscillating dlsc rheometer (370 F.) Torque,

in./lbs., minutes:

1, 460 1,850 1, 650 2, 575 2, 525 2, 875 280 240 300 Hardness, Durometer A 62 66 63 Stress-Strain, After 70 hrs. at 250 F. cure: 30

minutes at 153 0.:

200 modulus, p.s.i 1, 800 1,935 Tensile strength, p.s.i.- 2,200 2,070 2, Elongation at break, percent 230 200 225 Hardness, Durometer A 72 76 75 Compression Set, Method B; Cure: 30 minutes 3 0., 70 hrs. at 250 F., percent 30 31 33 The results of the tests reveal that the vulcanizable compositions of this invention are subject to much less premature crosslinking and have significantly greater bin stability than typical prior art control without sacrificing performance in cure rate and physical properties.

Example 13 The use of a chloroprene polymer composition of this invention in conjunction with a fluoroelastomer in preparing a laminated article is illustrated as follows:

A. PREPARATION OF NEOPRENE LAMINA COMPOSITION Four separate samples (1-4) of the same polychloroprene composition are prepared by compounding together the following ingredients by a mill mixing process. Component: Parts Polychloroprene (as in Examples l-3) 100 Calcium stearate 4 Magnesium oxide 4 Phenyl-alpha-naphthylamine 2 Epichlorohydrin-bis-phenol A resin (Epon 828) 5 Silica Hi-Sil 233 40 Polyethylene (AC-617A) 4 Zinc oxide 5 Calcium oxide 10 Trialkyl thiourea accelerator 2 B. PREPARATION OF FLUOROELASTOMER LAMINA COMPOSITION Four separate samples (1-4) of a fluoroelastomer composition are prepared by compounding together following components:

Component: 1 2 3 4 Hexafiuoroprene-vinylidene fluoride-tetrafiuoroethylene terpolymer 100 100 100 100 Magnesium oxide l5 Calcium oxide 15 15 Litharge t 15 MT carbon black 20 20 20 0 Hexamethylene diarnine carbamate. 1. 5 N,N-dicinnamylidene-l,6 hexanediamine 2 2 2 2 c. PREPARATION AND MEASURE F ADHESIVENESS OF NEOPRENEFLUOROELASTOMER C 0 M P 0 s I T E ARTICLE The laminates of Parts A and B above are adhered together by superimposing 1 x 4" x 0.150 slabs of the neoprene and fiuoroelastomer compositions of parts A and B and curing the assembly at 162 C. under a pres sure of 600 lbs/sq. in. for 30 minutes. The adhesion of the article is then tested by determining the force required to strip the layers apart at a 180 angle in a Scott tester, with a 2"/ minute rate of separation of the jaws of the tester. Results are as follows:

1. A bin-stable chloroprene polymer composition resistant to premature vulcanization consisting essentially of a vulcanizable chloroprene polymer, about 0.5-5.0 parts of N,N,N'-trimethylthiourea or N,N-diethylthiourea and about 0.7-7.0 parts of an epoxy resin which is an epoxidized unsaturated fatty acid ester of a polyhydric alcohol or the reaction product of epichlorohydrin and a polyhydric alcohol, per 100 parts of chloroprene polymer, said epoxy resin having an epoxide equivalent of not more than about 1000.

Z. The composition of claim 1 wherein the thiourea is N,N,N-trimethylthiourea.

3. The composition of claim 1 wherein the thiourea is N,N'-diethylthiourea.

4. The composition of claim 2 wherein the epoxy resin has an epoxide equivalent of from about 150-500.

5. The composition of claim 4 wherein the epoxy resin is at least one of epoxidized olive oil, peanut oil, soybean oil, or linseed oil.

6. The composition of claim 4 wherein the epoxy resin is the reaction product of epichlorohydrin and para,para'- isopropylidenediphenol.

7. The composition of claim 6 wherein the chloroprene polymer is a homopolymer of chloroprene.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,967,863 7/ 1934 Collins et a1 26023.7 2,556,145 6/1951 Niederhauser 260736 2,595,619 5/1952 Voorthuis 26045.8 2,671,064 3/1954 Cowell et a1. 26023 2,804,447 8/1957 Naylor 26079.5 2,958,680 11/1960 Brooks et a1. 26079.5 3,230,189 1/1966 Johnson et a]. 26023 3,297,660 1/1967 Becker 26079.5 3,310,539 3/1967 Convert et al. 26079.5 3,330,813 7/1967 Gruber 260795 OTHER REFERENCES Chevassus et aL, The Stabilization of Polyvinyl Chloride, 1963, p. 130, TP 986 V 48 C E.

DONALD E. CZAJA, Primary Examiner R. A. WHITE, Assistant Examiner U.S. C1. X.R.

" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent N0. 3 59: 9 Dated August 5 Inventor) John Michael Bowman It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

{- Column line +6, "Trimethy" should read Trimethyl and "N,N'-dipheny" should read N,N'-diphenyl Column 5, line 71, "examplese should read examples Column 6, line 16, 5" should read 8 and line 66 after "together" the word the should be inserted.

SIGNED AND SEALED MAY 2 s 1970 (SEAL) Attest:

WILLIAM E. samm.

I t her 11'. EdwardM F e 6 a i er 01' Paton Attesting Offic 

